New Books

The monograph presents an analysis of collective phenomena, anomalous resistance and thermal conductivity of current-carrying plasma. Particular attention is paid to a systematization and critical evaluation of experimental research carried on in various laboratories throughout the world, and to the determination of the phenomenological laws governing the evolution of physical processes in specific experimental systems. It discusses possible mechanisms of experimentally observed transfer phenomena and compares the main theoretical conclusions with experimental results.

This volume appears in the TeacherSource Series, which is aimed at MA-TESOL courses and practitioners interested in ongoing study. The book focuses on the teaching of second language reading, which it suggests should combine practice in vocabulary and comprehension by drawing on prior knowledge and by giving attention to reading strategies, reading rate and motivation. The author's aim is to guide practitioners to better understand and develop their own approach to teaching reading to second language learners.
Second language acquisition (SLA) and language testing research have largely been viewed as distinctive areas of inquiry in applied linguistics. In recent years, however, there has been greater overlap, or interface, between these two areas, and an increasing commonality of interests, both in terms of the research questions addressed and the empirical approaches taken in dealing with these questions. This book sets out to provide a fresh look at areas of common interest to both SLA and language testing research, and ways in which research in these two areas of applied linguistics can be fruitfully integrated. The volume includes original papers by leading researchers in the two areas, written around a common theme, and dealing with different aspects«of the interface between SLA and language testing research. The collection is thus intended to constitute a starting-point for a continuing and expanding dialogue between SLA and language testing researchers.
Methods of unconscious assimilation-and, in particular, Suggestopedia, its variants, its adaptations and its 64 background elements-are the subject of this book, written by associate professor of French and Humanities at the University of Toronto. Part I describes the theory of Suggestology and the original Suggestopedic language class. Part II discusses background elements of the original version of Suggestopedia. Part III examines related methods; and, in the final section, versions and variants of Suggestopedia are discussed. Part IV includes the author's own personal views on how Suggestopedia can be adapted for use in the conventional language classroom.
The Critical Period Hypothesis for second language acquisition (SLA) has spawned an abundance of data, ranging from grammaticality judgments to speech samples to Event-Related Brain Potentials. These data have lent themselves to interpretation in many ways: for example, as consistent with theories of access (or lack of access) to Universal Grammar; as suggesting post-maturational age effects and crosslinguistic (transfer) effects; and as evidence for the tremendous diversity of learner outcomes, ranging from little progress to nativelike mastery. This diversity is represented in the present volume, which uses as a nucleus presentations from the 1996 AILA symposium entitled 'New Perspectives on the Critical Period for SLA', where participants took aim at the question of whether, or to what extent, a critical period limits the acquisition of a first language, as well as a second language acquired in post-puberty. By its balance of competing views, the book seeks to allow readers to judge for themselves which arguments and data are most compelling, thereby enabling an informed decision on the merits of the Critical Period Hypothesis for SLA.

Burns, Anne
Collaborative action research for English language teachers.
This book proposes that action research should be a collaborative process emerging from the practical concerns of groups of teachers working in a common or similar context. Teachers' first-person accounts provide the basis for exploring the dial-lenges and constraints of action research. The author discusses the nature of collaborative action research and why it is of interest to classroom teachers; the processes and steps in such research; and ways of analysing resulting data. The book is aimed at teachers seeking new directions for their own professional development, as well as teacher educators, programme administrators and researchers interested in integrating collaborative action research into current practice and curriculum renewal.
Routledge Language Workbooks are intended to be practical introductions to specific areas of language for absolute beginners, providing comprehensive coverage of the area as well as a basis for further study. This volume aims to provide a complete introduction to morphology. The book takes words to pieces to see how they work as part of the language system; introduces a general classificatory system applicable to all languages; refers to a wide range of languages to illustrate points raised; encourages readers to take an objective and analytic approach to morphology; presents numerous exercises throughout, together with an answer key; and provides succinct summaries at the end of each unit. It is intended to be used for independent study or as part of a taught class. This book explores the key issues of what differentiation is and how learners are different as a startingpoint for examining ways of differentiating, organising and planning, creating a challenging learning environment and encouraging learner independence. This new edition re-examines the principles of differentiation in the light of current educational thinking and looks ahead to refining and enhancing classroom practice. The book reflects the general move away from a teacher-centred approach to one which focuses more closely on individual learners. The authors acknowledge the assistance of student teachers, who have played an important role in encouraging a realistic yet creative approach to differentiated learning.
This book sets out to provide a rich and fascinating source of information about everything important in British and American culture, and to be a comprehensive guide for learners of English at intermediate to advanced level. It explains how British and American people live, the sports they play, the products they buy, and past events that have shaped their lives, and seeks to makes sense of the culture behind news stories, novels and magazine articles. Including over 10,000 encyclopedic entries on British and American history, literature and the arts, legends and customs, places, institutions, sport, entertainment, and everyday life, it also features over 250 longer articles on topics such as education, fashion, Hollywood, humour, industry, politics, religion, and Shakespeare. This book is both an enquiry into fluency and an argument for doing it pedagogical justice. It begins by exploring perceptions and accounts of fluency, both popular and professional, to understand their common denominators. It goes on to pinpoint, by analysis of various kinds of discourse, the specific features which promote fluency, in production and reception, while emphasising its relative, interactional and fluctuating nature in practice. These analyses produce a methodological framework and a pedagogical strategy, illustrated by sample classroom activities. The activities, which are designed to promote the interplay between study of data and informed practice, are targeted at advanced students of French, but are handled generically, in the form of transferable principles which can be adapted to other levels and other languages. The book is intended to be an accessible companion to the teaching and study of oral language for teachers, applied linguists, linguists and their students.

Hinkel, Eli (ed.)
Culture in second language teaching and learning. Applied linguists and language teachers have become increasingly aware that a second or foreign language can rarely be learned or taught without addressing the culture of the community in which it is spoken. A second language learner's understanding of a second culture is fundamentally affected by his or her culturally-defined world view, beliefs, and presuppositions-and these have important implications for second language teaching and learning. This book addresses the impact of culture when learning to interact, speak, construct meaning and write in a second language, and within the sociocultural paradigms specific to a particular language and its speakers. For applied linguists and practising teachers, the research presented in this volume seeks to provide insights into factors that affect the ways in which learners construct meaning in a second language. By providing a comprehensive introduction to research from other disciplines on the interaction between language and culture, the volume intends to offer an important contribution to the field of second language acquisition. This volume appears in the TcacherSource Series, which is aimed at MA-TESOL courses and practitioners interested in ongoing study. The author suggests that, in order to truly own and direct their professional work as a language instructor, teachers must develop their ability to analyse their approach to language teaching and learning. The book examines three teachers' commentaries about what they know, believe and think about the learning process, with the intention of enabling readers to begin to understand and enhance their own reasoning and teaching practices. This book discusses key aspects of language and literacy in the early years and addresses a wide range of topics in the field. Focusing on the 3-8 age range, it aims to provide practical ideas for early years settings and classrooms, and to relate this practice to relevant theory and research. The contributors have all had extensive experience of working within the field of language and literacy in the early years. Some are practising early years teachers, others are teacher 66 educators working with students, and a number have published widely in the field. All share a common goal-to ensure that young children are provided with opportunities to become confident and competent users of oracy and literacy. The book is intended to be useful to students on a range of early years courses, as well as newly-qualified teachers and experienced practitioners interested in providing a stimulating environment for language and literacy developments.

Peccei, Jean Stilwell
Child language (2nd ed. Routledge Language Workbooks are intended to be practical introductions to specific areas of language for absolute beginners, providing comprehensive coverage of the area as well as a basis for further study. This volume outlines the major areas of linguistic analysis involved in the study of children's language, covering key areas such as: vocabulary development, word and sentence structures, conversational skills and pronunciation. Building on the established strengths of the first edition, this version has been fully updated and expanded throughout. This second edition contains an expanded corpus of child language data and twenty-four additional exercises; it also provides detailed guidance for a range of simple research projects, and has an updated and expanded further reading section. It may be used for independent study or as part of a taught class.

Phipps, Wendy
Paini'ork: Interaction in the modern languages classroom.
CILT (Pathfinder Series, no. 38), 1999. 61pp. ISBN 1902031 28 8, £8.00, pb. This book sets out to examine the nature of pairwork and to give teachers a comprehensive and practical overview of what might be achieved through its use in the modern languages classroom. It is suggested that pairwork can create real-life situations in the classroom by simulating everyday conversation, and can encourage pupils to use the target language without the intervention of the teacher, thus enabling them to take a more active part in the learning process. The author uses numerous examples to demonstrate how the use of carefully focused pairwork can enhance both understanding of the target language and skills in using and manipulating it as a means of expressing learners' own ideas and interests.

Singleton, David
Exploring the second language mental lexicon.
This book represents a sustained attempt to come to grips with some very basic questions about L2 lexical acquisition and processing questions largely clustered around the relationship between the L2 mental lexicon and the LI mental lexicon. It thus diverges from a recent trend in lexically-oriented publications towards attempting to cover a multitude of lexical topics from a very wide variety of perspectives. The substantial review of the lexical research literature which the volume provides focuses on issues such as similarities and differences between the conditions of LI and L2 acquisition, the respective roles of form and meaning in LI and L2 processing, and the degree of separation/integration between LI and L2 lexical operations. New research into the L2 mental lexicon from the Trinity College Dublin Modern Languages Research Project is considered in the latter part of the volume.

Thomas, Linda and Shan Wareing (eds.)
Language, society and power: An introduction.
The authors wrote this book for anyone who has ever wondered how language influences thought, how it impacts on our daily life, and how power is negotiated, achieved and perpetuated through language. Intended to be lively and accessible, with examples drawn from everyday life, the book looks at language use in politics and the media; differences in language use according to gender, ethnicity, age and class; how language affects and constructs our identities; and the significance of our attitudes towards language use and our notions of correctness. It seeks to bring together a wide range of topics showing the links between them and explaining fundamental theories about connections between language, thought and power. It is an interdisciplinary textbook showing the centrality of language across the humanities, and is intended as an introductory text for post-16 students of English language and linguistics, as well as relevant to students of media, communication, cultural studies, sociology and psychology. This book seeks to integrate current debates in UK primary education with multiculturalism and multilingualism. The authors explore the experiences of a group of young multicultural, bilingual children and their parents through the beginning of the early years of their school careers. They examine the attempts of teachers to teach creatively within the constraints of a prescribed curriculum, and the meanings the children attached to their learning. A 'Suggestions' section at the end of each chapter aims to provide a powerful resource and to make the research come alive.
'Beginnings' is a series designed to give practical help to students beginning to tackle recent developments in English, Literary Studies and Cultural Studies. This volume deals with 'postmodernism', which has become the buzzword of contemporary society in the 1990s-yet it remains confusing and baffling in its variety of definitions, contexts and associations. The book aims to offer clear, accessible and step-by-step introductions to postmodernism across a wide range of subjects. It encourages readers to explore how the debates about postmodernism have emerged from basic philosophical and cultural ideas, and to develop comparative connections and ideas from one area to another. With its emphasis firmly on 'postmodernism in practice', the book contains exercises and questions designed to help readers understand and reflect upon a variety of positions within the following areas of contemporary culture: philosophy and cultural theory; architecture and concepts of space; visual art, sculpture and the design arts; popular culture and music; film, video and television culture; and the social sciences.